Special Election Called to Replace Carpenter

SACRAMENTO — Gov. George Deukmejian on Thursday called a special state Senate election for May 12 to fill the vacancy created last week when Sen. Paul B. Carpenter (D-Norwalk) took a seat on the state Board of Equalization.

Deukmejian’s declaration came a day after he held a highly unusual private meeting with the top Republican contenders for the Carpenter seat and reportedly urged one or the other to bow out of the race to avoid a potentially costly and nasty campaign.

The unannounced session provided a glimpse into behind-the-scenes political maneuvering by Deukmejian, who rarely, if ever, interjects himself directly into Republican legislative primaries. Aides said they could recall no other similar occasion.

But both contenders, Don Knabe, the mayor of Cerritos and chief deputy to Los Angeles County Supervisor Deane Dana, and Assemblyman Wayne Grisham of Norwalk, said separately Thursday that they intend to remain in the race despite Deukmejian’s appeal.

“Neither Wayne nor I are moving off the dime at this point. We’re both in the race,” Knabe said. Grisham insisted he was “in the race 100%.”

The general election will be preceded by a special primary March 17. In the primary, all candidates will be listed on a single ballot and voters of any party can vote for any candidate. If no one wins more than 50% of the vote, then the top vote-getters from each party will compete in the May general election.

Hoping to avoid a bitter GOP fight, Republican officials have appealed to Grisham to keep his heavily Democratic 63rd Assembly District seat, which they anticipate will be hard to defend without the popular two-term legislator in office.

Against this backdrop, Deukmejian called Grisham, 63, and Knabe, 43, together in his office Wednesday evening to, as Grisham put it later, express his preference that “it would be best if one of us was in the race.” Grisham and Knabe said the governor indicated it was up to the two to decide who would pull out.

Kevin Brett, deputy press secretary, said he could not reveal what was discussed. Brett said that he believed it was the first time the governor had held a private meeting with rival GOP candidates before an election.

Knabe termed the hourlong discussion “friendly.” He said Deukmejian indicated that with both him and Grisham in the race there was a “potential of unnecessary” campaign expenditures. Knabe said he plans to spend up to $500,000.

Carpenter’s election Nov. 4 to the Board of Equalization sparked jockeying by potential Republican and Democratic candidates in his 33rd Senate District, which straddles the Los Angeles and Orange County line. Democrats hold a 54% to 38% registration margin over Republicans in the district.